June 20-22, 2008

     On June 14-16, 1758, Colonel Henry Bouquet, second in command of a British and Colonial military expedition under General John Forbes, met at Fort Loudoun with representatives of the Cherokee and Catawba Nations to seek their assistance in the ongoing war with the French. After two days of negotiations, the tribal representatives agreed to ally themselves with the British, providing, at least for a time, much needed assistance to counter the threat from other tribes assisting the French.

     This event at Fort Loudoun was a milestone during the campaign of General John Forbes, whose army built a military road as it advanced westward across the Pennsylvania wilderness - a road that came to be known ever after as "The Forbes Road." When Forbes' army reached the Forks of the Ohio on November 25, 1758, the French retreated in haste and destroyed Fort Duquesne, marking a critical turning point in the French and Indian War. General Forbes renamed the site "Pittsburgh" in honor of British Prime Minister William Pitt - and a future city was born.

     To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Forbes Campaign, and the Forbes Road, the Conococheague Institute and the Fort Loudoun Historical Society are sponsoring an event on June 20-22, 2008 entitled "Colonel Henry Bouquet at Fort Loudoun: The Cherokee Council of 1758."  The weekend of events will be held on both the campus of the Conococheague Institute on Bain Road in Welsh Run and the Fort Loudoun State Historic Site on Rt. 30, the Forbes Road. 

Friday morning June 20th at Conococheague Institute:

• Dedication of the "Studebaker Massacre" wayside,
• Bus tour of French and Indian War sites in Franklin County led by local historian Calvin Bricker and historian Roger Swartz. The tour will focus on the events of 1758, and retrace a portion of the original Forbes Road
• Dinner at the Conococheague Institute followed by an evening keynote address by Dr. Helen Westra, Professor of English at Grand Valley State University, speaking on the Jean McCord Lowry Captivity Narrative. A special reprint of that 1760 narrative, edited by Dr. Westra, will be offered by the Conococheague Institute as the first in a series of French and Indian War publications.

Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22nd, at Fort Loudoun
   Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
   Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fort Loudoun will host British, colonial, French and Native American living history units that will do a series of public programs both days as well as re-enact a portion of the Cherokee Council both afternoons. Events will kick off at 9 AM on the 21st and continue until 8 PM that evening, and resume on Sunday June 22 from 11 AM-5 P.M. Both days will feature keynote speakers, book signings, music, 18th century military tactical programs, colonial vendors, and more. Keynote speakers will include:

• British historian Dr. John Oliphant, author of a recent book entitled "Peace and War on the Anglo-Cherokee Frontier, 1756-63,"
• Douglas Cubbison, Command Historian for the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York who will speak on "The logistics of the Forbes Campaign,"
• Jeff Wood, historian and owner of The Whistlestop Bookshop in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, who will speak on Colonel John Armstrong,
• Roger Swartz, author and historian, who will address the subject of 18th century treaty negotiations from the Indian perspective,
• Dr. David Dixon, Professor of History at Slippery Rock University, who will explore British-Indian relations leading to Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763,
• Bill Hunt as "Andrew Montour," son of a Canadian born French woman, Madame Catherine Montour, and an Oneida Indian chief, a native american interpreter who participated in the Logstown Conference, the Battle of Fort Necessity, the Braddock disaster and other important French and Indian War events.
• Chuck Krepley and Tom Jolin in a colonial music concert and
• Warriors of AniKituhwa will be special guests; they will perform both Saturday and Sunday. This group, designated as official cultural ambassadors by the Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, brings to life the Cherokee War Dance and Eagle Tail Dance as described by Lt. Henry Timberlake in 1762.

     These programs and more will be a part of this educational and festive weekend, which promises to be one of the largest of its kind ever held in central Pennsylvania.

For more information on Saturday & Sunday events (pdf file) including a schedule and complete list of speakers,  Click Here. 

To register as a sutler or craft person, download and mail this form.

For further information please contact:

     Dr. Walter Powell, Executive Director, The Conococheague Institute, 12995 Bain Road, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania 17236 at (717) 328-2800 or email pioneerhistory@innernet.net

     Anna Rotz, President, Fort Loudoun Historical Society, P.O. Box 181, Fort Loudoun, Pa. 17224  Telephone: (717) 369-3318

Click here for an Article on George Washington and Gen. Forbes's Campaign